Sealing strip



y 2, 1939- H. DEwHlRsT ET AL 2,156,681

SEALING STRIP Filed June 18, 1936 .A.Z' I! A JZVL/ET-HURE JEawyJew/75225? Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEALINGSTRIP Application June 18, 1936, Serial No. 85,901

13 Claims.

This invention relates to sealing strips to be used to seal the jointsbetween rigid members subjected to expansion and contraction. The deviceis especially useful to seal the joints between paving or wallstructures. v

The principal objects of the invention are to provide eflicient sealing,ease of placement, and resistance to removal.

Other objects will appear from the following description and theaccompanying drawing.

Of the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing adjoining slabs of pavement and thesealing strip, in itspreferred form, in place therebetween.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the sealing strip alone before it isinserted in the joints.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a. modified form of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a similar view of a further modification.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of a joint between metal partition membersshowing a further modified form of the sealing member therebetween partsbeing broken away.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the sealing strip of Fig. 5. .ji'Referring to the drawing, and first to Figs. land 2, the numerals [0, lldesignate adjacent slabs of rigid paving material such as concrete,separated by a space I 2 to permit expansion of the slabs. A resilientsealing strip l3, preferably of soft vulcanized rubber or materialhaving similar physical properties, is inserted under compressionbetween the rigid members.

This strip, in its preferred form, comprises an extensive strip ofresilient material having angularly disposed parallel ribs l4 formedintegrally therewith along opposite side faces thereof and separated bylongitudinal grooves IS. The ribs on opposite side faces are inclinedtoward the exposed wearing faces of the paving slabs so as readily to bedeflected toward the body of the strip when the strip is forced into thespace I2, to facilitate the insertion of the strip and to act asresilient pawls against the walls of the joint space to resist movementof the strip in the reverse direction, each rib on one side of the stripin combination with the opposed rib on the opposite side and theintervening material forming in effect a bridging portion acting as apartially sprung toggle permitting movement of the strip into the jointspace with low resistance to such movement but strongly resistingmovement of the strip in the opposite direction, the toggle maintainingpressure against the walls by the resilience of Y the rubber.

While the cross-sectional contour of the inclined ribs may be varied, itis preferably such as to provide ribs which are broader at their basesthan at positions remote from the body of the strip, to increase theirresistance to local bending near the body of the strip while providingmore flexible sealing lips at their extending margins.

While the body of the strip may be of solid soft rubber as in Figs. 5and 6, an increased application of the toggle action of each bridgingportion, comprising each opposed pair of ribs and the interveningmaterial of the strip, with consequent reductionof central bulging ofthe strip toward the wearing face of the pavement, may be accomplishedby relieving the solidity of the body of the strip to provide a hollowor tubular construction by longitudinal passages I6, ll, formedtherethrough and dividing the body into substantially horizontalpartitions or bridging portions l8, i9, 20, especially where thepartitions so defined are so formed as to be somewhat V-shaped incross-section with their concave sides toward the wear surface of thepavement. Somewhat similar results, to a lesser degree, may beaccomplished by forming the center of the strip of cellular or spongerubber 2|, completely enclosed by dense rubber partitions 22, 22 as inFig. 3, or exposed at the upper and lower faces and only enclosed at thesides, as in Fig. 4.

While the sealing strip is primarily adapted to use between pavingslabs, and for convenience has been so described, such sealing stripsmay be used to seal the joints between other rigid structures. In Fig.5, such as strip is shown as inserted in a space between structuralsteel members 23, 24 normally held in spaced relation by bolts 25 andmetal spacers 26. Such joints occur in the use of formed metalpartitions for buildings, and although the dimensions of the joint spaceare more nearly permanent, such strips effectively seal the jointagainst such expansion and contraction changes as occur, and alsoaccommodate themselves to variation in dimensional tolerance of thespaces, while the inclined rib toggle action of the strip, permitsplacement of the strips with slight force, while effectively resistingaccidental removal of the strip.

We claim:

1. A strip for sealing the space between spacedapart preformed walls ofa pavement structure or the like, said strip comprising wall-engagingportions and a resilient bridging portion at a face of the strip, saidbridging portion being of a form, including a groove in said face, suchas not to bulge substantially in the direction outwardly of the spaceunder lateral compression of the strip.

2. A strip for sealing the space between spacedapart preformed walls ofa pavement structure or the like at a margin of the space, said stripcomprising a resilient rubber bridging portion including wall-engagingmargins, said bridging portion having a concave outer face and a convexinner face whereby under lateral compression of the bridging portion itwill bulge in the direction inwardly rather than outwardly of the space.

3. A contraction-expansion joint for a pavement structure or the likecomprising spacedapart preformed walls defining a space therebetweenopen at a face of the structure, a resilient rubber sealing stripdisposed in said space under lateral compression against said wallsadjacent the said face of the structure, said strip comprising a tubularbody having ribs on its sides resisting movement of the strip outwardlyof the space by a pawl-like engagement with said walls and the outsideface of the strip comprising a concave portion effective to causebulging of said portion in the direction inwardly rather than outwardlyof the space when the strip is laterally compressed.

4. A sealing strip for the space between spacedapart preformed walls ofa pavement structure or the like, said strip comprising abridgingportion of resilient rubber-like material, said bridging portion beingwider than said space and of a shape such that it is adapted to beinserted into the space at a margin thereof in the form of a partlyspring resilient toggle with the bending zone thereof extending into thespace and the outwardly facing surface of the strip concave and with thestrip maintaining sealing pressure against the said walls and resistingmovement of the strip outwardly of the space by the action of the partlysprung resilient toggle.

5. A sealing strip for the space between spacedapart preformed walls ofa pavement structure or the like, said strip comprising a bridgingportion of resilient rubber-like material, said bridging portion beingwider than said space and of a shape such that it is adapted to beinserted into the space at a margin thereof in the form of a partlysprung resilient toggle with the bending zone thereof extending into thespace and the outwardly facing surface of the strip concave and with thestrip maintaining sealing pressure against the said walls and resistingmovement of the strip outwardly of the space by the action of the partlysprung resilient toggle, said outwardly facing surface of the stripbeing concave in the relaxed condition of the strip to facilitateinsertion of the strip in such partly sprung togle form.

6. A sealing strip for the space between spacedapart preformed walls ofa pavement structure or the like, said strip comprising a bridgingportion of resilient rubber-like material, said bridging portion beingwider than said space and of a shape such that it is adapted to beinserted into the space at a margin thereof in the form of a partlysprung resilient toggle wtih the bending zone thereof extending into thespace and the outwardly facing surface of the strip concave and with thestrip maintaining sealing pressure against the said walls and resistingmovement of the strip outwardly of the space by the action of the partlysprung resilient toggle, and a body portion of rubber-like materialintegral with said bridging portion remote from said outwardly facingsurface and of a shape providing with said bridging portion aresilient-walled tubular strip.

7. A sealing strip for the space between spacedapart preformed walls ofa pavement structure or the like, said strip comprising a plurality ofbridging portions of resilient rubber-like material, and a portionjoining the bridging portions, said bridging portions being wider thansaid space and of a shape such that they are adapted to be inserted intothe space at a margin thereof in the form of partly sprung resilienttoggles with the bending zones thereof extending into the space and theoutwardly facing surface of the strip concave and with the stripmaintaining sealing pressure against the said walls and resistingmovement of the strip outwardly of the space by the action of the partlysprung resilient toggles.

8. A strip for sealing the space between spacedapart walls of a pavementstructure or the like, said strip being of resilient rubber-likematerial and comprising a transverse bridging portion having wallengaging margins, at body portion integrally joining the bridgingportion inwardly of the margins of the latter and providing with thebridging portion a tubular strip, said body portion having wall-engagingribs at its sides of the rubber-like material, said ribs being inclinedin the direction to permit insertion of the strip into said space underlateral compression against the walls and to actas resilient pawls toresist movement of the strip in the reverse direction.

9. A strip for sealing the space between spacedapart walls of a pavementstructure or the like, said strip being of resilient rubber-likematerial and comprising a transverse portion, body portions integraltherewith at positions spaced-apart transversely of the strip andextending from the transverse portion and. providing an inner spacepermitting movement of said body portions toward each other and inwardfiexure of the transverse portion upon lateral compression of the strip,such movement and fiexure being resisted only by the resilience of therubber-like material of the strip, and wall engaging ribs at the sidesof the strip of the rubber-like material, said ribs being inclined inthe direction to permit insertion of the strip into said space underlateral compression against the walls and to act as resilient pawls toresist movement of the strip in the reverse direction.

10. A strip for insertion between spaced-apart preformed walls of apavement structure or the like, said strip comprisinglongitudinally-extending resilient ribs on its sides, the ribs taperingoutwardly from their bases and being inclined in the direction to permitinsertion of the strip into said space under lateral compression and toact as resilient pawls against the walls to resist movement of the stripin the reverse direction.

11. A strip for sealing the space between spaced-apart walls of apavement structure or the like, said strip comprising a body portion andat least one longitudinally-extending rib of resilient rubber-likematerial on each side thereof adapted to engage the walls in sealingrelation, the ribs extending outwardly from the strip and being inclinedin the direction to act as resilient pawls to resist movement of thestrip more strongly in one direction along the walls of the space thanin the opposite direction;

12. A strip for sealing the space between spaced-apart walls of apavement structure or the like, said strip consisting of resilientrubberlike material and comprising at least one longitudinally-extendingrib of the rubber-like material on each side thereof adapted to engagethe Wall in sea-ling relation, the ribs extending outwardly from thestrip and being inclined in the direction to act as resilient pawls toresist movement of the strip more strongly in one direction along theWalls of the space than in the opposite direction.

13. A strip for insertion in the space between spaced-apart preformedwalls of a pavement structure or the like, under lateral compression ofsaid strip against said walls to seal the space,

said strip consisting of resilient rubber-like material and comprisingat least one longitudinallyextending rib of the rubber-like material oneach side thereof adapted to bear against said walls, the ribs extendingoutwardly from the strip and being inclined in the direction to permitinsertion of the strip into said space by flexure of the ribs againstthe Walls and to act as resilient pawls to resist movement of the stripalong the walls more strongly in the direction opposite to that ofinsertion.

HARRY DEWHIRST.

ERNEST MEYER.

